In the Netflix documentary, "This Changes Everything" released on September 8,2018, directed by Tom Donahue sheds light on the issues involving gender/sexism and over all the unfair and Unequal treatment that women experience in the film industry. We are given a behind the scenes tour into the lives of hollywood's most prestigious, well known, and most talented women in the field like Meryl Streep, Geena Davis, Reese Witherspoon, and many many more who've been in this industry for years are providing their view points and experiences from working. Throughout the film we are shown first hand scenes from some of our beloved movies and tv series to give the audience a sense of what things are truly like behind the scenes of so many iconic moments on scene. A prime theme throughout the documentary is about oppression and inequality that can be traced back for decades. Not only are we provided with true stories from well known actresses, producers, and directors, but were also presented with factual data and statistics to back up the argument. Women are constantly objectified and are made to seem like a sidekick to the males to make the male look better since it seems to be the only audience movies are made to target. This film is supposed to spread awareness and attention to the fact that women are more than just eye candy but can provide the same work ethic, dedication, and knowledge that men can if more chances were given. Sounds great doesn't it, strong and talented women standing up for a good cause? Well let's talk about what's missing...Intersexuality.
This changes everything, lacks the opportunity to really stick up for all women and are really only scraping the surface. Representation matters and should matter for women across the board, not just the white woman in Hollywood. I mentioned intersexuality earlier and that refers to a cross section within a minority who has their own unique experiences of oppression and or discrimination whether it involves race, class, gender, sexuality, appearance, religion, political affiliation, etc. The film touched a bit on race and how important it is to see other people who look like you on the screen but are failing to touch on peoples sexual orientation, sexual preferences, and even disabilities like Lavern cox, Elliot Page, Michael Jay Fox, or even Lauren Potter. Silence films were mentioned as a time when women ran the film industry and were admired for their talents but that was back in the late 1800's and early 1900's people of colored were oppressed than ever and there was no such thing as trans or gay communities. The women who are white are fighting against the white man's umbrella after sound comes into play, but why aren't we fighting for the ones who've never been admired for their talent and are just trying to be seen. Some of the women have never had proper validation and can't remember a time where they were equally accepted. It is also of question and seems a bit confusing that they're all fighting for women to be behind the camera when yet, the director is a male? They're talking about the difference between the male gaze and the camera angles would differ then what a female director would film, so why are we still seeing a film especially one with such a powerful story being told from a males point of view? Although this documentary had a powerful message I think being more inclusive to women who face intersexuality would really make the fight a lot more worth fighting and grab more support from audience members who feel they aren't alone and represented as well.
To conclude my review, I think that the film This Changes Everything, did what they set out to, which was bringing awareness to a topic many didn't know existed involving sexism, misogyny, and oppression of gender and race in the film industry is just the tip of the iceberg. If they added more interviews about the woman of color and their personal experiences, stories, and emotions could really give the story home and to add to that more diversity in the interviews by adding transgender people and to hear more about people of color should be the cherry on top. But maybe we can see that in This Changes Everything part 2 which will be directed by a woman.
This changes everything, lacks the opportunity to really stick up for all women and are really only scraping the surface. Representation matters and should matter for women across the board, not just the white woman in Hollywood. I mentioned intersexuality earlier and that refers to a cross section within a minority who has their own unique experiences of oppression and or discrimination whether it involves race, class, gender, sexuality, appearance, religion, political affiliation, etc. The film touched a bit on race and how important it is to see other people who look like you on the screen but are failing to touch on peoples sexual orientation, sexual preferences, and even disabilities like Lavern cox, Elliot Page, Michael Jay Fox, or even Lauren Potter. Silence films were mentioned as a time when women ran the film industry and were admired for their talents but that was back in the late 1800's and early 1900's people of colored were oppressed than ever and there was no such thing as trans or gay communities. The women who are white are fighting against the white man's umbrella after sound comes into play, but why aren't we fighting for the ones who've never been admired for their talent and are just trying to be seen. Some of the women have never had proper validation and can't remember a time where they were equally accepted. It is also of question and seems a bit confusing that they're all fighting for women to be behind the camera when yet, the director is a male? They're talking about the difference between the male gaze and the camera angles would differ then what a female director would film, so why are we still seeing a film especially one with such a powerful story being told from a males point of view? Although this documentary had a powerful message I think being more inclusive to women who face intersexuality would really make the fight a lot more worth fighting and grab more support from audience members who feel they aren't alone and represented as well.
To conclude my review, I think that the film This Changes Everything, did what they set out to, which was bringing awareness to a topic many didn't know existed involving sexism, misogyny, and oppression of gender and race in the film industry is just the tip of the iceberg. If they added more interviews about the woman of color and their personal experiences, stories, and emotions could really give the story home and to add to that more diversity in the interviews by adding transgender people and to hear more about people of color should be the cherry on top. But maybe we can see that in This Changes Everything part 2 which will be directed by a woman.